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LANDSCAPING & EXTERNAL WORKS
the drainage network and the consequent avoidance of CSO spills and the associated criticism in the media, or by their ability to protect natural water courses from over- abstraction in areas where there is already limited supply.
Defra prioritises the resource value of water and states that water should be managed in an integrated way to mitigate the dual climate risks of drought and flooding
are listed as a tool to tackle stressed potable water supplies. However, they must be designed with a storage volume that is ‘always available’ for stormwater management purposes, so that the discharge of their contents can be controlled to a suitable rate. Without this facility it is likely that a traditional water butt will soon become full during extreme rainfall events and simply overflow. With the relatively recent introduction of intelligent technology that monitors and acts upon local weather forecasting data, the ‘smart’ tank’s contents can be automatically released, sufficient to accommodate the anticipated rainfall volume, while still maximising the storage of rainwater for non-potable reuse purposes. This enables it to provide the dual role of both rainwater conservation and stormwater attenuation.
Practical examples
Following successful pilot programmes, in which the collective flood and drought mitigation benefits of individual, plot- based, smart rainwater harvesting tanks have been measured and analysed, multiple development-wide rainwater management schemes are now being installed. The introduction of these schemes is being driven largely by water companies and local authorities, motivated either by the tanks’ removal of surface water from
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Environmental credentials Defra requires that not only must the management of surface water be considered for its impacts on both flooding and drought but emphasises the contribution it can make to increasing biodiversity and protecting nature. In meeting a new development’s requirement to deliver a nett gain in biodiversity and satisfy its obligations under the terms of the Environment Act, the inclusion of natural SuDS as water features; e.g. ponds and wetlands, can enable the species already prevalent there to flourish whilst also attracting new flora and fauna to the area. With the addition of below-ground, engineered SuDS devices such as surface water storage tanks, smart technology can ensure the tanks provide a sustainable supply for a constant minimum water level in these above-ground features. Furthermore, smart technology can help to reduce the physical size of these features, thereby limiting the amount of land that might otherwise have been required to take the place of profitable construction.
Growing role of the architect Schedule 3 provides a framework for the approval and adoption of drainage systems, an approving body (SuDS Approval Body or SAB), and national standards for the design, construction, operation and maintenance of SuDS. It would be reasonable to anticipate that the role of SAB will be handed to unitary authorities or county councils (formerly “Lead Local Flood Authorities”), and that architects, alongside engineering and environmental consultancies and landscaping practices, will be among those most likely to fill a potential gap in knowledge amongst the council community.
The contribution that technology experts and evidence from successful pilot schemes, can provide could prove indispensable in elevating the importance of integrated water management in the design of new developments.
Mark Manning is national specification manager for SDS
ADF JUNE 2023
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